Flag Football Team Having Banner Year
By STAFF REPORTS
Feb 28, 2013, 18:01

Flag football players from Hopewell, many of whom won a Virginia High School League Group AAA title in 2003, pose for a team photo at Hopewell High School. The team is 6-1 in the Central Virginia Flag Football Association’s ‘B’ Division. Front row, left to right: Eric Dunbar, Trey Matthews, Bobby Henderson, Eddie Fisher, Jonathan Davis and Trey Rainwater. Back Row: Rodney Peace, Stew Posey, Lee Bujokowski, Jered Stanley, Willie Mazzei, Eric Harris, Chase Rigsby and T.J. McCall. Not pictured: Victor Mazzei and Elliot Presley (contributed photo).

HOPEWELL – Nearly a decade after winning a Virginia High School League Group AAA title, several members of the 2003 Hopewell High School football team are still taking the field in blue and gold.

Their most recent touchdowns and victories have come in the Central Virginia Flag Football Association.

Team Hopewell – which includes 16 players and competes in the Richmond-based league’s ‘B’ Division – is 6-1 on the season and well-positioned to claim a top seed in the upcoming playoffs. The CVFFA uses an eight-on-eight format and caters to players of all ages and ability levels.

“It has everybody from couch potatoes all the way up to NFL stars,” said Hopewell graduate Chase Rigsby.

Rigsby, who played soccer in high school, did not play football for Hopewell in 2003, but he said about half of his flag football teammates were on the roster when the Blue Devils claimed their last state title.

Among the commonalities is quarterback Lee Bujakowski, whose name still litters the VHSL record books. A 2003 Hopewell graduate, Bujakowski is one of 12 quarterbacks in state history to pass for more than 6,500 yards and one of five to eclipse the 400-yard mark in a single high school game.

He leads the CVFFA with 1,191 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. Former Hopewell baseball standout Jered Stanley is also on the roster.

All CVFFA games take place at John Marshall High School. Rigsby said his teammates were unable to find a local alternative to the league, which also includes co-ed and women’s divisions.

“There’s nothing like this in the Tri-Cities area,” Rigsby said. “That’s why we had to go to Richmond.”